The Birdcage
by Candlestic
Summary: In Family Business we all saw how protective of Rip Rev was. So what will happen when Rip mysteriously disappears? How far will Rev go to get him back? Or more importantly, will they both make it back?
1. Prologue: Into the night

Hey I'm Candlestic and this is my first LU story :), so I would love some reviews to let me know how I'm going. This isn't going to be a very long story but it takes place between the episodes 'Family Business' and 'Cape Duck'. Also, sorry about the disjointed format, I was trying to make it seem abit more like he was drunk. :). Thats all for now.

* * *

Rip walked through the park humming under his breath. He felt really happy and – if he admitted it to himself – slightly intoxicated: both as a result of his friends' party. It had been an awesome night, with loud music, dancing and plenty of people. But of course, all good things must come to an end and, after discovering how late it was, Rip had decided to go.

Now on his way home, Rip had decided to take a shortcut through the park. The park was huge and normally walking around would take twice as long. But it was a beautiful night and Rip really wanted to stay on his parent's good side, so he'd taken the short cut.

Looking up, Rip felt content with his decision: at this rate he would be home in no time. Things had been a lot better between him and his parents since that Robo Amigo incident. Pa had been listening to him more and Ma had been a lot more supportive. Rip really wanted to get home early to show them how much he appreciated it.

Not to mention that at this angle Rip had a perfect view of the moon through the trees. Looking back down, he marvelled at how the moonlight cast such a unique shade over the forest.

Growing up in the desert, Rip had developed a weird dislike of cities; whereas now, in the park, Rip felt more at peace being so close to nature.

A twig snapped somewhere to his right but in his drunken state, Rip didn't think anything of it.

Nor did he take any notice of the nearby rustling.

However, his intoxicated mind did lock onto the sound of footsteps walking at the same speed as him. Something about them didn't seem right to Rip so he began walking a little faster. As he increased his pace so did the figure behind him.

Panicking now, Rip started to jog, then run, then sprint but still they kept up.

While Rip was slower than the average bird, he was still a road runner at core and even in his intoxicated state, his mind was fast. He knew he needed a way out and he knew he needed it fast.

However, before he could act, a sharp pain in his arm caused him to stumble and fall.

As his limbs started to go numb Rip looked up as his attacker approached but before he got a good look at them, a bright light filled his vision.


	2. Chapter 1: The phone call

Author's note: So, first chapter. Sorry it's so short, I promise the next one will be longer. Anyway, thank you for the reviews so far to the story. I didn't expect so many at this stage. :). Hope you enjoy the first chapter.

* * *

Things were relatively normal in the Loonatics tower; well, as normal as the Loonatics could get.

There had been a surprising lull in chaos that day and the Loonatics were using this unexpected break on a bit of well-earned free time.

Tech, of course, had immediately jumped at the chance to spend time working on his projects and was now locked away in his lab. Normally Rev would have been there with him but an accidental explosion that morning had caused an overly crispy coyote to banish the roadrunner into the living room with the rest of the team.

Several hours later, Ace was using his free time to meditate; quite a feat considering the commotion starting on the other side of the room.

Duck had challenged Lexi to a video game battle and wasn't very pleased at the result.

"Hey!" He shouted at Rev and Slam – the former versing himself in a game of air hockey and the latter cheering him on – "Could you keep it down? Some of us are trying to concentrate!"

Rev shrugged at Slam and together they moved over to watch the end of the game.

All of a sudden Duck's spaceship launched a whole cluster of missiles at Lexi's, hoping to throw her off. But Lexi calmly destroyed them all and before Duck could react she launched a single missile straight at Duck's ship, blowing it from the screen.

"Whoo-hoo!-Go-Lexi!"

"Oogurba!"

Rev and Slam congratulated her.

Duck simply scowled at the glittering letters taking up Lexi's screen. "No fair!" The mallard protested, "I would have won but Rev and Slam were distracting me."

"Werrag Wa!" Slam growled taking a menacing step forward.

Yelping, Duck quacked away from the angry Tasmanian.

"Aw-don't-take-it-so-hard-Slam.-Duck's-just-being-a-sore-loser-because-Lexi-smashed-him-and-all," Rev calmed Slam down.

Duck had reappeared to hear the end of that comment, "I am not a sore loser! Lexi simply cheated. That's the logical solution why she was able to beat my brilliance. I mean, no one can pull of a move like that without cheating. What was that anyway? The spaz attack."

Lexi narrowed her eyes, "It's called the Ballistic Bunny and it just beat your tail feathers off."

"Well I still think it was a trick."

"Face it Duck: she beat you fair and square."

Duck jumped at the sound of Ace's voice.

Seemingly still meditating, Ace opened one eye, "Nice shooting dere Lexi. You should think of becomin a professional."

"And give up being a superhero? No way," Lexi joked.

"I don't believe this!" Duck squawked. "It's a conspiracy I say. That you would believe her over me? Well I won't stand for it. Danger Duck will-"

His tirade was cut off by the shrill ringing of a phone.

That surprised everyone: sure they knew the tower had a phone but it was so rarely used. Zadavia would normally use the holocomm and no one else really had reason to call them.

Ace answered the phone, his hand straying to his sword, "Hello?" He turned to Rev, "It's for you."

Rev took it cautiously before walking away from the others. He didn't say much to the person on the other end but he didn't need to: his face said it all. The others watched as his face went from surprise to shock to worry.

Lexi really wanted to know what was going on but out of consideration she had turned her hearing down.

Finally Rev put the phone down, his hands shaking.

Curious as always, Duck quacked over to him, "So what's the news?"

Rev didn't answer. That caused the others to start worrying: Rev always had something to say.

"Rev?" Ace started.

Suddenly Rev's legs gave way and Slam only just managed to catch him.

"Oghdawa?" he asked concerned.

"He's alright Slam, he's just in shock. Let me handle it," Lexi reassured him. She walked over to the startled roadrunner, bending down to face level and placing both hands on either side of his face. "Rev," she said gently. "Look at me."

Slowly his glazed eyes focused on her.

"That's it. Now, what happened?"

He stood up and uncertainly Slam let go, standing at the ready should Rev try and face plant again.

"It- it was my parents," he said slowly. He looked up and Lexi felt her stomach drop at the visible tears in his eyes.

"Rip's missing."

* * *

Dun Dun Dun. My first cliffie. So what do you think? Please do tell me. :). Until next time.


	3. Chapter 2: Without a trace

Author's note: Wow, when I said the next chapter was going to be longer, I didn't think it was going to be that much longer. Oh well, I guess it makes up for not being able to post next week. So, yeah, in this chapter things start moving on quite a bit. I know I could have drawn it out a bit longer but this is kind of a shorter story anyway. Well, I hope you all enjoy :)...

* * *

To say Rev took the news badly was an understatement. It had taken an hour's worth of Ace and Lexi's combined effort just to calm him down; not to mention Slam's muscle to stop Rev from immediately running off to search for his missing brother.

That had been one of the hardest things Ace had ever had to do. Even though they were about the same age, Ace couldn't help but see Rev as a younger brother; so seeing him so distraught really made it hard to keep a straight face. He found he was very grateful for how much meditation he'd done as it was the only way he was able to keep a calm face despite the anger boiling inside him. No one hurt his team – his family – and got away with it.

Lexi had done most of the work though. In situations like this, she was always the go-to-girl. _A God send,_ Ace thought. There was no way he would have been able to calm Rev down without her.

After that little fiasco was handled, Ace alerted Tech to the situation and had left him and Duck to watch the tower and gather any information they could – well Tech anyway. Ace had just used that as an excuse to stop Duck from accidently upsetting Rev. Harsh? Maybe; but Ace knew the mallard too well. While he usually didn't mean it, Duck's tactless nature often got him into trouble.

The rest of the team had gone out to help search for Rip. Their first stop: Rev's house.

* * *

It didn't take them long to get reception. After a single knock on the door, Rev's mum had opened it and upon seeing who it was, had immediately smothered Rev in a hug, crying hysterically and babbling faster than normal (quite a feat for a roadrunner).

"Oh-Rev-you're-here-I'm-so-glad-you're-alright-I-was-worried-that-you-would-go-missing-too-and-oh-what-could-have-happened-to-him?-Everything-was-going-fine-why-would-he-disappear?-He-wouldn't-run-away-would-he?-But-then-that-means-someone-kidnapped-him!-Oh-someone-has-kidnapped-my-baby-boy!-What-if-we-never-see-him-again?-What-if-someone-" She broke down crying.

"It's-okay-ma:-everything-will-be-fine," Rev reassured her, gently manoeuvring her back into the house.

While Lexi and Rev worked on calming Harriett down, Ace casually made his way over to where Ralph was sitting. Just by looking at the man, Ace could see how badly this disappearance had affected him.

The last time they'd met, Ralph Runner had oozed confidence, so much so that Ace had paired his cockiness in parallel with Duck's. But now he sat silent; shrunken and downcast in the faded background.

"Eh, what's up doc?" he asked.

Upon getting no response, Ace became serious. "How long's he been missin?"

"18-hours-but-we-only-started-worrying-this-morning-after-he-never-came-home," he replied slowly.

Ace absorbed this information, "So not long enough for da police ta consider it as a missin anthro, huh?"

Ralph sighed, "No.-They-think-he-ran-away-but-that-makes-no-sense:-things have-been-good-lately-in-fact-I-haven't-seen-Rip-this-happy-in-ages.-He-simply-didn't-have-a-reason-to-run-away."

"Maybe he didn't," Ace rationalised. "You said he was out last night, maybe he crashed at a friend's. Do you know where he was goin?"

"An-old-buddy-of-his-had-a-party-but-we-contacted-them-and-they-say-he-left-last-night-to-come-home."

Ace could see that Rev's dad was getting close to the panicked state Harriett was in so he stepped in. "Tell you what, if you give me Rip's buddy's address, Rev, Lexi, Slam and I can go over ta them and find out what dey know. Den we'll take da route Rip probably took home and let you know what we find."

Ralph looked a lot happier at that, "Really-you-would-do-that?"

"Yeah," Ace shrugged easily. "We can go now if you want."

Ralph started shaking Ace's hand enthusiastically, "Thanks-Mace-that-means-a-lot-to-Harriett-and-me:-their-address-is-7-Claringdon-Road-over-on-the-south-side-of-the-city.-Let-me-know-if-you-need-anything-else."

Once Ace finally managed to reclaim his hand, he collected up his team members (disentangling Lexi and Rev from his mum and Slam from the fridge) and they departed for the city.

* * *

Tech sighed: an hour had passed and he still had nothing. This was causing the coyote quite a bit of frustration. He wasn't used to not having answers, but no matter what he tried nothing came up. He'd checked out all of Rip's friends, possible routes, people missing from the area, family history and anyone possible to have a grudge on the Runner family. It all ended in a dead end.

Scanning over the results for missing anthros, Tech felt his frustration mount as nothing out of the ordinary come up.

It didn't help either that he was worried about Rev: as best friends, Tech could easily tell when something was wrong with the roadrunner, and losing his brother was definitely taking its toll on him. Tech just hoped they would be able to find him before Rev did something stupid – but at the moment it looked like Rip had just disappeared from the face of Acmetropolis.

He also had this nagging feeling that there was something he was overlooking, but for the life of him he couldn't think what.

Sighing again, Tech went to close the page but an entry at the bottom stopped him. It wasn't about a missing anthro – just about an old lady who'd lost her pet bird – but something about it made him stop. He clicked on the link and started to read.

* * *

"Danks for your time Mrs Knella."

"Anytime. Let us know if you find him."

The door shut and Ace, Lexi, Slam and Rev walked away disappointed. While the Knella family had been really helpful, they had known nothing about Rip's disappearance. The only lead they had gotten was the direction he'd taken home.

They followed the path in silence, each in their own thoughts.

Rev of course was getting worried again. He couldn't help it: something had happened to his younger brother, of that much he was certain. Something bad since Rev couldn't even locate him with his global positioning ability. It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the earth and Rev couldn't suppress the growing feeling that if they didn't find him soon he would be lost for good.

Even with super-speed, Rev had never felt that the others slowed him down; but now, with every second counting, Rev felt it more than ever. He wanted nothing more than to race off and search the city block by block until he found his brother. But with the others with him he knew he couldn't do that.

Lexi had been carefully watching Rev; watching as he started walking faster and faster. Just as he was about to break into a run, she put her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry Rev, we'll find him."

He looked at her surprised before sighing, "I-know-it's-just-"

Suddenly he stopped. Concerned, the others stopped too, before following his gaze.

Across from them was the entrance to central park.

"Ah Rev, you okay buddy?" Ace asked.

"Central-park-of-course!-Rip's-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-nature-and-going-through-Central-Park-cuts-the-travel-time-home-in-half.-I-know-he-took-this-way-home-I-know-it!-That-idiot-Central-Park-isn't-safe-at-night.-Who-knows-who-could-have-been-there.-He-could-have-gotten-lost.-Oh-no-oh-this-is-bad-what-if-he's-"

"Rev!" Ace shouted, breaking through the bird's panic. "Now are you sure Rip would have gone through da park?"

Rev, who had been standing with his mouth half open, snapped it closed and nodded, "I'm-certain-of-it."

Ace snapped into leader mode, "Alright, if Rip did go through Central Park it's our best bet of where he went missing, so Lexi and I will follow the path looking for clues. Rev's right however: da chances of him gettin lost here at night are pretty high so Slam, Rev, I want you two ta search da rest of da park. Slam you have da right side; Rev you have da left. Keep your comm. links open and contact da rest of us if you find anythin. Alright, now go."

* * *

Rev raced through the forest faster than he'd ever gone before. Yet despite all the near misses with the fast looming trees he was able to keep a sharp eye out for any sign of his younger brother. So far he'd covered about half of his side, block by block with no results, which only served to increase his worry and his speed.

He swerved an incoming tree but skidded to a stop when he saw something out of the ordinary. Walking closer, he inspected the bottom of the tree. His eyes widened when he recognised the dark purple feathers nestled amongst the foliage. They most definitely belonged to Rip.

He widened his circle of search and quickly spotted the subtle path of feathers leading away from the tree. Rev's heart leapt at the clue, certain that at the end of the trail he'd find his brother.

He reached for his comm. link, excited to share his discovery when suddenly he stopped. While he rationalised that it was better to alert his team, he knew they would slow him down. He desperately wanted to find his brother and every second wasted threatened his hope of ever finding him again.

Besides, wouldn't it be better to scout ahead and make sure it was a lead? Otherwise he would disrupt the search unnecessarily. Either way it would be faster if he went alone.

"Sorry Ace," he apologised as he switched off his comm. link. Then he took off after the trail.

* * *

Lexi sighed contently as she and Ace wandered the path through the woods. "I can understand why Rip would choose this way; the park's quite beautiful to walk through."

"Mmm," Ace barely registered.

Lexi glanced sideways at him. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Does anything about dis seem off ta you? I mean," he expanded, "ta begin with I didn't think it was much, just your stereotypical teenager and overly worried family. We've all been dere."

Lexi nodded her head in agreement, didn't she know the half of it.

"But den, even though nothin is out of da ordinary, no one's seen him. Dere's no trace of him: no clues, no evidence and Rev can't even find him on his internal GPS. Dat makes me think dis was done by a professional. And yet no ransom, no revenge; no reason. So why did dey take him?"

Lexi paused in thought: Ace did have a point.

"It's almost like-" he stopped.

"Ace?" Lexi asked troubled. He crouched down, picking something from the dirt. He scowled and Lexi's heart jumped. She knew that look: something was wrong.

"Recognise dis?" he asked, handing Lexi the object. It was a small cylinder, roughly 10mm in diameter and 25 in length with a circle of fuzz at one end and a long point at the other.

Her eyes widened, "It's a tranquiliser dart. An empty one too. Do you think this has something to do with Rip's disappearance?"

"I'm certain of it."

A tense silence settled over the couple.

Suddenly Ace's communicator rang, causing both of them to jump.

"What's up Tech?" Ace answered it.

"_I found something chief," _ Tech's voice came through.

"What is it?"

"_Well it took me a while, but I found that several rare birds have gone missing lately."_

"Gee Tech, I'm touched by your chivalry but we don't have time ta look for missing birds."

Ace didn't see the connection.

Even though they couldn't see him, they couldn't miss the frustrated sigh coming from Tech's end along with the words, _"I told you I wouldn't be the only one not to get it,"_ from Duck.

"_I'm not talking about just pets but anthros too." _ Tech explained. _"Disappearances will suddenly occur in an area, leaving no clues or evidence; just like they've dropped off the face of the earth. Then as suddenly as they started, the disappearances will stop._

_The only thing the disappearances have in common is that they're all avians, they're all unique in some way and that they are never seen again._

_This isn't just some small operation either: disappearances have occurred all over the universe, from Blanc, to Mars to recently – Acmetropolis."_

"You think Rip's disappearance is linked?" Ace asked.

"_I'm positive it is. I've checked and double checked: this isn't just a coincidence."_

"But why Rip?" Lexi asked. "He's a nice guy and all but he seemed pretty normal to me."

"He did seem a bit slower dan your average roadrunner," Ace noted.

"_Slow?" _Duck voiced over the comm. link, _"He's the slowest roadrunner in Acmetropolis. Why would anyone bother to kidnap him? I, on the other hand, would be a worthy prize. I am, after all, one of a kind."_

"_Duck's right in one aspect," _Tech cut off Duck. _"Rip's slowness is quite rare in a roadrunner, which is my conclusion of why he was taken. But the slowest roadrunner in Acmetropolis is nothing compared to the fastest bird in the universe."_

"You don't think," Lexi started.

"_I believe Rip was also taken as bait."_

"Rev," Lexi gasped, "we've got to warn him."

Ace however was already moving. He switched frequencies on his comm. link, "Rev! I need you ta connect up with Lexi and me, immediately. Rev?" All he got was static. His eyes me Lexi's. Both of them knew something was wrong.

Quickly Ace flicked back to Tech. "Tech, Rev isn't respondin: we need his position pronto."

"_If Rev's in trouble, Duck and I can meet you there."_

"No. Even though I never thought I'd say dis, Duck has a point: dere's every chance dat whoever is behind dis is after Duck too. I need you two ta stay at HQ just in case. Just send Rev's location ta Slam, Lexi and me."

"_Already done."_

"Thanks Tech," Ace switched frequencies again. "Slam: Rev's in trouble. I need you ta get ta him as soon as you can, we'll meet you dere soon."

"_Blahguom-Okay."_

Ace glanced at Lexi and they took off; following Tech's signal.

_We're coming Rev, just don't do anything stupid,_ Lexi prayed.

* * *

So what do you think? :). I would love to know. So: reviews?


	4. Chapter 3: Attack

Author's note: hey, sorry about the wait. So here's the new chapter. I've got to warn you, it jumps around quite frequently so bear with me. :). Other than that I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Rev raced along, following the trail of feathers. It wasn't as easy as it sounded though as the feathers were sparse and far between and sometimes Rev would have to stop and examine the area before picking up the trail again. It was almost like Rip was giving him something to follow but had needed to make sure his captors wouldn't see it.

_Don't worry Rip, I'll find you, _he thought.

Then, suddenly the trail stopped. Rev searched around but there were no more feathers in sight.

"Arg," he cried frustrated. He knew he was close, he could feel it, so where was he?

A slight click on the edge of his hearing caused him to dodge to the side and a second later a dart shot through the air where he had been standing.

A growl was emitted from nearby, before a large metallic figure pushed itself through the trees.

The robot towered above Rev, but he didn't run. This robot was linked to his missing brother so Rev was going to take him down.

* * *

Slam surged through the trees, leaving behind a destructive trail of broken branches and stripped undergrowth.

Normally, he would have been a bit self-conscious of this; he didn't like the fact that he broke most of the stuff he touched. It made him feel clumsy and destructive – something Duck (and sometimes Tech, after an unfortunately bad incident in the lab) would call him.

Today however, Slam didn't care: one of his teammates was in trouble. He may not be many things but he was a fighter, and he would always be there to help any one of them when they needed it – up till his last breath.

He glanced at the signal Tech had sent, showing Rev's location. While he was gaining on him, he was still a long way off. Slam stepped it up a gear, increasing the tornado of debris around him and sped ahead.

No one was going to hurt one of his friends while he was around.

* * *

Rev dodged a strike coming from the left. This robot was fast. But then again, so was he. Indiscernibly, he reached for the drill Tech had given him as he dodged another strike.

Suddenly he sped forward, working his way around the robot and unscrewing all the connections on the robot. All the bolts fell out but instead of falling apart, the robot kept coming.

Rev's jaw dropped: that should have worked. He was so stunned that he almost didn't see the robotic fist coming at him.

He managed to dodge it at the last second but the power behind it caused the air around Rev to shift. He frowned in concentration: this was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Duck watched nervously as Tech's fingers flew across the key board before turning to the screen to take in the several bleeping dots showing them the postion of their team mates. Three of the dots were closing in on the forth and while it was a relief to see that their team mates were getting closer to Rev it was easy to see that they were still a fair distance away.

Tech frowned at the stationary forth dot, _Why wasn't Rev moving? _Sure the tracer system didn't account for close range movement but surely considering Rev's superspeed he would have moved away by now. Something just wasn't right.

However, the thing that was worrying them the most was the fuzzy interference blurring Rev's signal.

"Any luck?" Duck asked.

Tech sighed, "No. I've never seen anything like it: it's encrypted on multiple layers and the blockage is diverted through several different signals, meaning not only can't I counter it, I also can't trace it. I'm taking recordings though, which – with the right programs – I might be able to crack, but it'll take me a while and time is something Rev doesn't have. Let's just hope the others get there soon."

"And if they don't? They're not exactly Danger Duck, if you get my meaning?"

Ignoring the last part, Tech answered seriously, 'If they don't…well – let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

* * *

Rev was growing worried – not to mention tired. This robot just wouldn't quit.

He had long since given up attacking and had mainly focused on defence. That wasn't as easy as it sounded, however, as the robot seemed to know his every move. Several times now Rev had tried to run away but the robot kept simply shooting a line of electricity in his path, keeping Rev confined to the immediate area.

He knew he would be no use to his brother dead or captured but at the moment that looked like the inevitable outcome. He wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

Rev glanced at his comm. link, before dodging the blast of electricity arcing towards him.

Why the hell had he turned it off? He needed his team now more than ever. He just hoped that they would realise he was missing and come to his aid. And it better be soon because Rev didn't think he would last much longer.

* * *

Ace and Lexi raced through the forest, fear for their friend filling each of them. They could see Slam's dot closing in on the blip that was Rev even as they too grew closer to their missing teammate. Suddenly they burst through into a small clearing and what they saw made them gasp.

Towering in the centre of the clearing was a massive fighting robot. It kind of reminded Lexi of a mix between Deuce's robots and the robots from that 21st century movie she had watched once where the robots had hidden as cars on earth. This one had a distinct grey and red colouring which, when it stepped in the sun, highlighted all the sharp, steel edges and points while causing the red streaks to darken till they almost looked like blood stains. Lexi shuddered, _you wouldn't want to meet that in a dark alleyway._

At the moment it was occupied with trying to hit the small red and black blur racing round its feet. _Rev,_ Ace realised. Watching carefully he noted that even moving at the breakneck speed he was, Rev was losing steam.

Before he could jump into action though, Slam smashed through the trees on the other side of the clearing, distracting Rev and causing him to stop.

"Ace!-Lexi!-Slam!-You-guys-are-here!" Surprise and relief were evident in his voice.

"Rev look out!" Ace called.

Rev turned in time to get a face full of robot fist. The punch sent him flying through the air before he slammed into a tree and fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Rev!" Lexi screamed. The horror was evident in her voice as she watched her surrogate brother smash into a tree with enough force to break it.

"Slam, grab Rev and get him out of here! Lexi and I will deal with da robot," Ace commanded.

Slam gently gathered the limp bird in his arms before taking off into the forest.

"Come on Lexi, let's take dis menace down."

They ran in opposite directions (Ace flanking it from the right and Lexi from the left) while it was busy tracking Slam's movements. When it tried to go after him, Lexi and Ace launched their attack.

It knocked Lexi aside and dodged Ace's sword. Determined Ace continued his attack, thrusting forward with two jabs and an overhead swing. The robot blocked all three before swiftly launching a couple of its own attacks which Ace easily blocked. The battle continued as the fight raged all across the small clearing and it became evident to Ace that the two of them were evenly matched. _Looks like it'll take a fair bit of luck ta break dis stalemate, _he thought.

Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be with them that day as Ace's foot caught on a root and he fell backwards, his sword clattering to the ground just out of reach. The robot pulled his fist back for the final blow.

"No!" Lexi shrieked as she watched Ace fall. Focusing all her energy she sent a massive brain blast at the metallic monster.

It turned with a growl. Lexi readied herself to defend her fallen leader but before she could act, a sharp pain shot through her arm.

On the other side of the clearing, Ace struggled to his feet. He watched as she pulled a tranq dart from her arm before collapsing on the ground.

"Lexi!" he cried. He turned towards the robot, fully determined to take it out. Nobody hurt his team.

He shot a laser beam at it, intending to melt the robot to a crisp. But instead the beam simply rebounded, heading straight back at him.

He just managed to dodge in time. Looking up, the last thing he saw was a large metallic fist coming towards him, then everything went black.

* * *

Slam tore through the park at top speed, a hurricane of debris spinning around him as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the robot. Normally, running away wasn't his style but his top priority at the moment was the unconscious team member cradled in his arms. Once he'd gotten Rev to the safety of the tower, he would come back to help Ace and Lexi. And then, the robot would see the full wrath of Slamicas Tasmanian.

Suddenly, a roaring came from the side and Slam only just managed to dodge the 50 tonnes of metal flying at him.

He grinned, _looks like the thing is going to get a lesson in pain sooner than I thought. _

Gently, he placed Rev behind him before throwing himself at the robot. He whirled around it; damaging the metal with scratches, punches, kicks and bites as the robot flailed underneath him, unable to hit his opponent.

Slam grinned at his victorious revenge, getting ready to take the robot out once and for all when the robot sent a powerful current of electricity over the two of them.

The electricity coursed through Slam's veins like liquid fire; his spasming muscles losing their grip on the robot and causing him to come crashing to the ground.

He struggled to rise but his body wouldn't respond. His vision started going blurry but he still saw the robot step over him for Rev's limp body before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

So I just should mention that the drill trick Rev used didn't work because the robot was being held together from screws both on the outside and on the inside. (I haven't quite figured out how that works yet).

Next chapter, you get to find out about the villian. :0. So stay tuned and pleeeaase review. :)


	5. Chapter 4: One down

Author's note: So like I promised, in this chapter you'll find out everything about the mysterious villian.

One other note. I just thought I should let you know (because it hasn't been made that clear yet), that in this story Ace and Lexi are, in fact, going out. I've never really minded their pairing - in fact I think they made a nice couple - but I've never been one for the whole lovey-dovey romance thing so please don't expect it to be in here. So, now that that's been sorted, on with the chapter.

* * *

It was a sombre mood back at headquarters as the team sat in silence, waiting for the arrival of their leader and friend, Zadavia. Looking back, Ace realised they should have contacted her earlier, before they had started the investigation. But he had been so sure that the disappearance had only been a minor thing - something they could have dealt with quickly to stop Rev from worrying about it - that he hadn't bothered to contact her. Now it was just another thing they could have done to stop it all from happening.

The guilt of what could've been done weighed heavily on his shoulders, causing Ace to forego sitting down like the others and instead start up a relentless pace around the room. But no matter how far he wandered he couldn't help feeling that this was his fault: it was his job as leader to make sure that his team mates were alright. If anyone's life was to be put on the line, it was to be his not his family's.

Lexi watched her boyfriend's path carefully, knowing full we'll he was blaming himself for what had happened to Rev. The kidnapping their youngest member had affected them all greatly: Slam sat silent and still, – so rare a feat that, had the situation not been so tense, Lexi would have gotten a picture of it – Tech was madly working away on his computer, running searches and scanning and rescanning all the evidence, while Duck –loud and self-boasting Duck – was content to sit quietly in the background, despite his usual comments of how annoying Rev was.

No one wanted to think of what could happen to their innocent, happy-go-lucky team member now that he had been captured. Although he could take care of himself, the little brother of the group was the last person they wanted to see get hurt.

Lexi felt a small smile lift the edge of her lips: if – no _when_ they got Rev back, he was going to become very familiar with the Loonatic tower – or at least until Ace's overprotectiveness wore off.

She continued to watch him pace for a while until she couldn't stand it any longer.

Gently, she pulled herself up, being careful of her injuries, and put her arms around him, "Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault."

She felt Ace stiffen in her arms, resisting the hug, "It is. Dere were so many things I could have done ta stop dat _thing_ from takin Rev. I could have-"

"Hind sight is twenty-twenty. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. What we need to focus on now, is getting him back."

Ace sighed and Lexi felt his shoulders drop slightly.

"Lexi's right," Zadavia's voice sounded behind them.

They turned towards the tall woman as she strode towards them. "There's no point in dwelling on mistakes of the past; only on what one must do to fix it. Now, what can you tell me about our birdnapper?"

"Not much I'm afraid," Tech replied. "All we know is that he collects rare birds and that the birds he's after disappear without a trace. What technology is used for that I don't know, but it is effective. It even stumped Rev's GPS abilities _and_ the comm. links I designed." He was silent for a while, remembering the cold, sinking feeling in his stomach when Rev's dot had suddenly disappeared from his screen, and knowing that his best friend had been taken.

Shaking off the reverie, he continued, "I've been running decoding algorithms on Rev's last signal but without further information on the technology used I don't think I can crack it."

"So Zadavia, any chance you have any information we could use?" Ace asked.

Zadavia sighed, "I'm afraid not Ace. I have heard of this man: on my planet he's known as the Birdwatcher, but that's all I know. You see, he's never left any evidence of his crimes before – well, until now."

"You mean the robot?" Lexi asked.

Tech was still doubtful, "Zadavia, I've scanned all the images of the robot that attacked and found absolutely no leads. How is that evidence?"

"By da fact we saw da robot in the foist place," Ace murmured. He turned to his team, "Think about it: every other bird dis Birdwatcher has ever taken, have simply vanished without a trace, but we all saw the robot dat took Rev. Dat may not give us much of a lead but it does tell us several things. One, we know for certain who took Rev, even if we don't know where. Two, we know dat dis guy wants Rev badly, if he's willin ta break his effective strategy just ta capture him. And three, he knows we're now aware of him."

Tech nodded his agreement, "Unfortunately, those last two reasons are going to make him all the much harder to find."

"You're right: we need an edge; a way ta figure out what he's going ta do next," Ace mused. "For dat we'll need someone smart, someone cunnin and someone who knows about collectin rare specimens."

"What do you have in mind?" Lexi asked him.

He stopped pacing and smiled, "I think it's time ta make a visit ta Otto da odd."

* * *

Rev groaned as he felt his head throb. It felt as if Slam had accidently knocked him out again or that one of Tech's experimental stage prototypes had malfunctioned. The rest of his body felt in no better condition either. He lay there as his body ached, trying to remember what had happened.

He'd been searching for something – or someone – when he'd split off from the others. Why had he done that? He focused, trying to remember. Hadn't he thought they'd slow him down too much? And then the robot had attacked him.

He shot up. The robot! Rip!

He peered out at the surrounding darkness.

_Where-am-I?_ he wondered.

Turning on his GPS, his heart dropped as he sensed nothing. How could he not even know where he was?

"Good, you're awake."

His head shot towards the sound of the voice.

"I was afraid you'd been damaged in the collection."

"Who-are-you?" he called.

"I have many names," the voice carried closer before a figure stepped into the light. "But you may call me the Birdwatcher."

Rev studied the man in front of him. Physically, he wasn't very impressive: he was short and pudgy and balding on top, not to mention his tacky clothes would cause Lexi to have a heart attack.

However, there was an assured smugness in his stance and a cunning malice in his eyes that caused Rev to be wary. This man was dangerous.

The birdwatcher continied, "And you, my friend, are my latest prize."

Rev stiffened at that, "Prize?"

"Of course," the Birdwatcher continued urbanely, "how silly of me. You don't know. Well, let me explain: I'm a collector. I travel the universe in search of rare and priceless birds and you are my latest collection. Quite a priceless one too: the only flying roadrunner and the fastest bird in the universe. The ultimate prize; unlike the slow bird I picked up last night. I can understand why your parents love you more."

Rev's eyes narrowed, "You-took-Rip?-Why-you-"

He lunged forward only to have both arms grabbed from behind. Two robots – similar to the one that attacked him but smaller – held his arms in their metallic grip, unfazed by his struggles.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. My robots tend to get surly when avians try to escape from them."

Rev ignored him, "What-did-you-do-to-Rip?-I-swear-if-you've-hurt-him-you'll-regret-it.-I-don't care-how-many-robots-you-have-I'll-"

"You'll behave if you ever want to see him again."

Rev fell silent and stopped struggling, but he continued to glare at his captor.

The Birdwatcher smiled, satisfied, "There, was that so hard? Now: I'm willing to make a deal with you. I'll let you see your brother and you can make sure he's unhurt and well and yadda-yadda and in return, you'll come along easily to your… new home. Deal?"

Rev's eyes narrowed before his shoulders dropped and he nodded mutely.

"Very good: Come." The Birdwatcher turned his back on him and started walking away and the two robots still carrying Rev followed his lead.

He led them along so many passages and corridors that soon Rev, despite his internal sense of direction, became hopelessly lost. The corridors all looked the same: dark, metallic and lined with the barred cages of every bird Rev had ever seen.

Finally they slowed to a stop and Rev's heart leapt as he recognised the figure in the cage before them. With his dark purple feathers, usual black leather jacket and a crest stylishly combed forward, Rev would recognise his little brother anywhere.

"Rip!" he exclaimed relieved.

"Rev?" Rip asked dismayed. He felt his heart sink as he saw that his brother had been caught. He had fervently hoped that Rev wouldn't try to come after him, but it was so typical of his brother that he wasn't surprised.

Rev glared at the Birdwatcher, "Let-him-go."

The villain smirked, "Oh, I don't think so. You see: he's part of my collection and I don't really want to give him up. And even if I did; I couldn't just let him go. He's seen too much. If I no longer wanted him I'd have to kill him. Are you sure you still want me to let him go?"

Rev's eyes went wide and he shook his head.

"Didn't think so. Now, you've seen your brother: time to come along quietly."

Rev however wasn't ready to leave just yet, "May-I-talk-to-him?-Privately?"

The Birdwatcher thought about it. "Very well," he gave in. "You have two minutes." He gestured to the robots and they pushed Rev inside the cage before locking the door.

As soon as he was released, Rev crushed his brother in a hug before pulling away. "Are-you-hurt?" he asked, carefully examining his brother. Overall he seemed fine except for a couple of cuts and bruises. Even just looking at these small wounds made his blood boil; that this villain had even dared touch his brother.

"I'm fine Rev," Rip assured him. "Look, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I should have-"

"It's-fine.-It's-not-your-fault:-I-walked-into-the-trap-as-much-as-you-did.-Don't-worry,-I'll-get-us-out-of-here-I-promise."

"But Rev-" Rip started doubtfully.

"No-buts-" Rev cut him off. "I-promise."

"Alright, time's up," the Birdwatcher called harshly.

"I-promise-you-Rip," Rev called back to his brother as the robots pulled him away.

Rip watched the retreating form of his brother as he was taken away.

"Please be careful Rev," he whispered after him.

* * *

Ace and Lexi strode through Prison Station Alpha, ignoring the jeers and insults the inhabitants threw at them.

They stopped before Otto's cell and the short, colourful man smirked at them. "Well, well, if it isn't the Loonatics. What brings such mighty heroes to my humble abode?" he asked with ostensive politeness.

Ace's expression remained neutral as he got straight to the point. "Have you ever heard of da Birdwatcher, Otto?"

Otto the odd's smile, if possible, grew even wider. "Ah, the Birdwatcher huh. Let me guess, he took one of your teammates didn't he? Which one was it: the obnoxious duck or the annoying roadrunner? Personally, my money's on the roadrunner."

Lexi looked surprised and Ace scowled. "And how'd you figure dat?"

Otto shrugged, "I just know my brother well."

"Wait, wait: your brother?" Lexi asked in disbelief.

Otto frowned in distaste. "It's not something I like to spread around and I don't exactly see him much. He started getting a little cuckoo about birds and we had a bit of a disagreement; so we went our separate ways, happily collecting specimens. Well, until you came along. Now, why have you come to me about this?" He grinned again.

"Your brother," Ace gave him a pointed look, "has taken one of our own and we want him back. So we came ta you for information. After all, no one will know what an illegal, universal collector will do next better dan another illegal, universal collector."

Otto nodded, "Very true. But what will you give me in return?"

"Not your freedom, if dat's what you're asking."

"Oh no," Otto smirked, "That wouldn't be a fair trade. Information for freedom? What were you thinking? No, what I want: is information."

Ace looked at him with narrowed eyes, thinking over the implications of Otto's request. Finally he nodded, "Ask your question: if I answer it, you tell us what we want ta know."

Otto looked at him slyly, "And if you don't."

"Den we don't have a deal," Ace deadpanned.

"Very well," Otto agreed. "Here is my question: how far are you willing to go to get your teammate back?"

That caught Ace off balance. How far was he willing to go? As he thought about it, Rev's innocent face entered his mind and Ace made a decision. "As far as it takes ta get him back," he stated.

Otto nodded with a smile, "Okay then." He leaned in and whispered just loud enough for Lexi and Ace to hear, "He'll go after the duck next."


	6. Chapter 5: Plan of action

Author's note: Wow, hectic day. I meant to post this this morning but I was just bogged down with work and chores, and then the fanfiction sight wouldn't let me upload anything. Ugh. Anyway, I'm finally finished and this chapter finally uploaded. :).

So, that's it for my little rant, on with the chapter. Oh yeah, if anyone noticed, I dropped the rating from a T to a K+. I don't think it ever was going to be T but this is only my third story and I'm still a little paranoid about rating it too low. Actually, I think the high rating is pretty much because of the next chapter but I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.

Anyway, I've been talking for too long. So here you go.

* * *

Lexi opened the door for Zadavia, her eyes softening when she saw how drained the Frelengian looked.

"How'd they take it?" Lexi asked softly.

Zadavia sighed, "Not well. If they were distraught before, they were even more so when I brought them the news."

Lexi nodded, "I can only imagine. I think I'd be devastated too if I found out that my remaining son had disappeared looking for his missing brother."

Zadavia nodded her head with a sigh, "So what did I miss?"

"Quite a lot actually. Come on I'll take you to the others."

As they walked along, Zadavia began to pick up the sound of raised voices up ahead.

They entered the meeting room in time to see Ace shout, "I'm not going ta use Duck as bait! We've already lost one team member ta dis guy. I will not sit by and see him jeopardise da safety of da rest of my team."

Zadavia raised an eyebrow at Lexi, "It seems you are right: I have missed a lot."

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Zadavia," Ace said. "We didn't realise you'd arrived."

She gave him a small smile, "I can see. Now, what did you learn from your meeting with Otto?"

Ace's face darkened but before he could speak, Tech interrupted him, "Well for one thing, we found out that Otto is the Birdwatcher's brother."

That information definitely surprised Zadavia. Even using all her observation skills she never guessed _that _connection, and yet, in an odd way it made sense.

"So using that knowledge," Tech continued, "and several pieces of technology from Otto's old space circus, I've managed to put together a tracer system that we can use to pin point the Birdwatcher's base, and with it, hopefully Rev. However it isn't complete: I still need a piece of the Birdwatcher's technology to calibrate the device to. That's why I've been trying to convince Ace to-"

"No," Ace adamantly put his foot down. "I've already told you: I'm not putting any more of dis team in danger."

"Otto told us that Duck was the Birdwatcher's next target," Lexi explained to Zadavia quietly. "Tech and I think that we should use Duck as a way to draw out another one of the Birdwatcher's robots so that Tech can get his sample but Ace-"

"Is absolutely correct," Zadavia stated firmly. "We cannot afford to lose another member, however useless they may be at times. Not only that, but Duck may be the only reason the Birdwatcher is still hanging around earth. If he gets his hands on Duck, we may lose any chance of finding him ever again."

That of course, didn't go down well. Several voices were raised as the arguing continued; the noise growing louder and louder as each member tried to make themselves heard over the others.

Duck just watched the commotion in silence; passively watching as his teammates argued amoungst themselves. It all seemed so stupid that they should be arguing over his safety, when they should be doing all they could to get Rev back. Stupid, maybe, but not unexpected. Afterall, he was _Danger Duck_. He sighed. Sometimes being the world's greatest superhero had its downsides.

Glancing across at his still arguing team members Duck decided he'd had enough, so he stood up abruptly and shouted, "I'll do it. I'll act as bait."

All the noise ceased immediately as all eyes turned towards the bird. The statement was so un – well un-Duck-like, that everyone just stopped and gaped at him.

The mallard's eyes softened and he murmured quietly, "We can't just abandon him: he's part of our family."  
Then he resumed his superior attitude and drew himself up, "Besides, it's only right that that Birdbrain would be after the great and powerful Danger Duck. And that he, graciously and heroically, would put his life on the line to go to his team member's aid."

Lexi smiled genuinely at him before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Duck."

He gave her a quick smile before rolling his eyes and snorting, "Alright, so what's the stupid plan to get that annoying chatterbox back again?"

* * *

Meanwhile, on board the Birdwatcher's base, Rev was currently searching for a way to escape.

After the guards had thrown him into his cell, or his 'new home' as the Birdwatcher had called it, he had used the first five seconds to check out every nook and cranny in search of anything that might help him to get out. However, nothing turned up. The walls and floor of the four by four cell were smooth and seamless, with the only opening barred by a high-powered, impenetrable force field that shocked anything that touched it - something Rev had found out the hard way. Whoever this guy was he was good.

Sighing, Rev finally sat down, letting his gaze wander up the walls to the high vaulted ceiling above as his spirits sunk into the ground. It wasn't so much the captivity that saddened him. Sure it wasn't ideal, but he could live with it if he had to, especially if it meant his brother was safe. No, what bugged him was the fact that he'd promised his brother he'd get them out. And he'd never broken a promise before … but he just couldn't see how it was possible.

He frowned. Shaking his head, he refocused his eyes on the ceiling. Was it just him or was there a minor discrepancy in the ceiling?

Curious, he stood up and started flapping his wings. As he gained altitude, Rev's heart began to pound with excitement as he recognised the outline of an air vent. After studying it closely, Rev soon pin pointed the eight screws that held it in place and reached for his drill.

Really it was a marvel that he'd managed to keep the thing but Rev wasn't complaining. Quickly he removed the screws, catching the cover as it fell and gently lowering it to the floor to avoid any conspicuous noises. Satisfied with his work, Rev caught hold of the opening before pulling himself into the air ducts.

"Don't worry Rip: I'm coming."

* * *

The Birdwatcher strutted around his office with satisfaction. Catching the pesky roadrunner had taken longer than he'd thought but he didn't mind: he enjoyed a challenge – especially when he won. Not only that, but the Birdwatcher felt confident that the chase on Acmetropolis was nearly over. One of his scouts had just given him the news that a large fight had broken out at the Loonatics Headquarters and that the duck had left alone in a huff. He'd released a robot after him immediately. The Birdwatcher smiled: after the mallard was safely acquired they would be able to move the chase from this miserable planet to the planet Blanc, where a special, royal fluff ball awaited to be collected. Yes, everything was going well.

He became alert as the sound of footsteps approached his office.

One of his guards entered with a bow.

"What is it?" he asked the robot contemptuously.

"Sir, the Super powered Anthro has escaped."

"What!" the Birdwatcher bellowed. "How?"

The robot cowered before his anger, "It appears he escaped through the ventilation system."

"Then what are you standing around for? Find him!" His voice rose several octaves in frustration. "I don't care what you have to do: he cannot be allowed to escape. Put everyone on search alert."

"But sir, by my calculations, factoring in the velocity of the prisoner: it could take up to 72.9682 hours to find him again."

The Birdwatcher opened his mouth to retaliate when a sudden thought crossed his mind. Lowering his arm, he let a sly smile spread across his face, "Oh, I don't think it'll take that long. I have a feeling I know exactly where he's going."

* * *

So, I know it's not my best chapter or my longest but I've had a long day. Anyway, I just wanted to take this time to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my story. It means a lot to me. :). I would love to get more reviews. That's all from me now.


	7. Chapter 6: Point of no return

Author's note: I'm not sure if I've said it already but this is the reason that the rating is a K+. Reading through it now, it doesn't seem that bad but at the time it seemed much worse. I'm just parinoid that way. Well, that's all I have to say so I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Duck sat with a huff on the park bench. Ace could be so stubborn sometimes; even when he'd made it clear that he was willing to take the risk to get Rev back, Ace had still been hesitant. While Duck was flattered to hear how much he knew he was worth to the team, sometimes enough was enough.

With a sigh Duck looked around the forest where their team member had disappeared. Though it went against his personality, Duck couldn't help but miss the annoying roadrunner. He guessed living with someone for two years would do that to you. It was the same with all his teammates: though he'd argue and complain about rescuing them, it was all just a face. He'd still go out of his way to help get them back; like when Aldopho had taken Ace or when Tech had been kidnapped by Black Velvet. In fact, he realised as he thought about it, they'd had to rescue every single one of their team members at one point or another in their career as superheroes.

All of a sudden he was brought out of his musings by a soft click.

Acting instinctively, Duck quacked away and a second later a small fuzzy projectile flew right though the spot where Duck had been.

Cheated of his prey, the robot growled; discarding secrecy in favour of force as it stepped out into the open.

Duck, who had just reappeared, let out a yell, "Now, Tech! Now!"

Tech fired up his portable EMP generator and a large surge of electricity jumped from the device to the charging robot, causing its circuits to overload.

"Well, that went well," Duck commented as the remains of electricity died away and the charred machine collapsed to the ground.

"Hey Tech," Ace asked, stepping out of the forest where he and the others had been hiding, "are you sure you can get a signal out of dis thing after you shoit circuited it?"

Tech scoffed, his paws already attaching wires and typing in commands, "Are you kidding? I specially reprogrammed the EMP to release a pulse at a voltage that would disrupt the robot's commands but leave his software intact. If I can't get the coordinants for the Birdwatcher's base from this thing, I'll give up inventing for good." He let out a triumphant cry as his screen lit up with a glowing dot. "According to the robot, we'll find Rev at approximately 257.49km North, 19.67km East and 3.82km up."

"So how do we get there without drawing attention to ourselves?" Lexi asked.

"That's what I'm working on now," Tech replied. "I'm currently reprogramming the robot to emit a return signal, causing it to head back to the base. We can hitch a ride on it, that way no one will be aware of our arrival until it's too late to stop it."

Ace smiled, "Tech, you are a genius."

Tech shrugged, "Of course."

* * *

Rev unscrewed the cover in front of him quickly and efficiently, before sliding it up and inside the air duct with him. Now, with nothing blocking the vent, Rev had a clear view of his brother below, slumped against the wall of his cell.

He jumped up in surprise as Rev landed in front of him.

"Rip!" Rev said excitedly.

As Rip's surprise melted away, it morphed into a look of horror, "Rev? What are you doing here? Go! It's a t-"

Before he could finish, both he and Rev were grabbed from behind.

They were pulled apart by the robotic guards; two tightly holding Rip and the other two pinning the struggling Rev to the ground.

Despite his strugglings he still managed to throw a glare at the Birdwatcher as he entered.

The villian stopped in front of him, a smug smile painted on his face while his eyes above were as cold as ice. "So you thought you could escape, huh?" he asked Rev softly. "Sorry to disappoint you but no one has ever – or _will_ ever – escape from me."

He picked up Rev's drill from where it had fallen, "It was a very good idea, I'll give you that much. You might even have pulled it off – if you weren't been so attached to your brother. Fortunately for me however, you are."

Rev's eyes narrowed as he saw his brother's head droop, obviously blaming himself for what had happened, "Don't-listen-to-him-Rip.-It's-not-your-fault.-We're-brothers,-family.-And-family-does-that-for-each-other.-I'm-willing-to-face-whatever-consequences-there-are-for-my-actions-because-it-was-_my_-_choice._"

The Birdwatcher laughed, "That's very touching, however you are right: you are going to have to face the consequences. You see, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. It's nothing personal; I just can't afford for it to happen again." His smile fell off his face, "Go at it boys."

The two robots immediately sprang into action, kicking and punching the downed roadrunner with a brutal efficiency.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" Rip shouted, struggling in vain against his captors as he tried to go to his brother's aid. After a minute of struggling, Rip turned away from the scene, unable to watch the guards beat up his brother.

Finally the Birdwatcher called the guards off and they pulled Rev to his feet, his body now covered in cuts and bruises. Blood dribbled down his beak, and judging by the angle of his left forearm, it was broken. But he didn't let the pain show and he defiantly met the cold stare of the Birdwatcher.

The Birdwatcher sneered, "I told you my guards didn't like it when someone tried to escape. So now that you know the punishment, I expect you not to try and escape again. Got it?"

_Please Rev, just back down this once, _Rip pleaded silently. _Don't try and be the hero for me._

But Rev stood resolute, his gaze never wavering and his stance clearly indicating that he would, by no means, stop trying.

The Birdwatcher's met his stare, "So be it: if you won't _choose_ not to escape, I'll just have to make sure you can't – permanently."

He barked some orders to the robots, causing them to seize Rev and start after their master.

Rip found himself thrust backwards as his captors joined the barrier around his brother.

"Rev!" Rip cried, running to the edge of his cage. But he could only watch helplessly as his echoing cry trailed after the retreating form of his brother, before both disappeared.

* * *

Ace clung to the robot as the wind whipped his ears round his head. Around him Lexi, Duck and Slam clung on also as Tech steered them through the bright blue sky.

As they passed through a cloud bank, the view on the other side made them gasp: a huge ship loomed ahead of them, perfectly hidden inside the natural cloud formation around them.

As they approached, a small door opened up in the side and the robot – Loonatics and all – passed through without incident.

Once inside they were met by a pontoon of guards, obviously sent to escort the captured Duck had the robot been successful. However, the Loonatics were ready for this and before the guards could attack, Tech sent a blast from his EMP causing the robots to shut down.

"There: we're inside and no one knows we're here," he stated smugly.

"Nice work," Ace commented as he jumped off their hijacked robot. "Have you managed ta get our communicators working yet?"

Tech pursed his lips in a frown, "Unfortunately no: I'd need access to the main frame of the ship to do that."

"No helping it, we'll have ta stick together. Come on let's go."

* * *

The guards dragged Rev down a long corridor, navigating the twists and turns with ease before stopping in front of a large metal door. Carefully, the Birdwatcher opened it, giving Rev a full view of what was inside. He blanched. The room looked like something out of a horror movie: there were several operating tables throughout the room, both large and small, and several empty cages hung from the ceiling. But it was the walls that caused Rev to shudder: they were covered with every possible operating devise Rev had ever seen, plus some he didn't even want to.

Sickened, he averted his eyes. He had to get out of here. Mustering all his energy, Rev made a sudden dash forward, causing the guard's now slackened grip to lose hold of him. Even with all the cuts and bruises he'd sustained, plus a slight limp, Rev's super speed carried him out of the robots' reach.

Excited by his success, Rev started towards the door but a sluggish feeling overtook him. His speed slowed and he fell to his hands and knees as his energy drained. With considerable effort he raised his head towards the smirking Birdwatcher.

"What's happening?" he asked, noting that his voice sounded normal.

The Birdwatcher lifted a bright glowing container. "Curium 247," he explained. "Powerful stuff: even a single touch is enough to kill you, while being in close proximity to it is enough to temporarily drain your powers and your energy."

The two guards pulled the limp roadrunner up and over to one of the operating tables. Once he was secured, the Birdwatcher put away the Curium before standing over the helpless avian.

"Don't worry, you're still one of my priceless possessions so I'm not going to damage you – much. I'm just making sure you can't escape again; and that means eliminating your ability to fly. Unfortunately, I can't clip your wings like I would for other birds, but that's okay because I have a better solution." He walked over to a nearby tray and lifted up a large syringe, filled with a strange black liquid. "This is a very unique substance called Eulurium, I'm not sure if you're heard of it? It has the distinct property of being a liquid under normal circumstances unless the molecules are vibrated at rapid speeds; then it becomes a solid. Chemically unreactive too: meaning once in your blood stream, it will be permanent. The substance will be ineffective, unless you try to fly, then it will cause your arms to become too heavy for lift. Oh, did I forget to mention that it'll be extremely painful as a solid?" His smirk grew, "The only problem is that it will inhibit your super speed too, but that can't be helped. It was the value of it that I cared more about anyway."

* * *

The Loonatics raced through the barred corridors of the Birdwatcher's ship, glancing at, but not wanting to take in the sight of all the forlorn feathered bundles that surrounded them.

Suddenly, Lexi stopped as her ears picked up the faint sounds of a struggle.

"Guys wait!" She called to the others.

Realising she'd stopped, Ace, Duck, Tech and Slam closed the distance that had grown.

"What is it?" Ace asked.

"Something's going on up that way," Lexi stated, pointing down the hallway to her left. "And I'm pretty sure Rev's involved."

"Bghalghbgh-come on," Slam growled before taking off down the corridor, the others hot on his heels.

With Lexi giving directions, the Loonatics navigated the twists and turns easily, before arriving at the previous scene of commotion.

In the cell in front of them stood a distraught, purple roadrunner. He stood clutching the bars as if his grip alone would cause the bars to crumble so he could go free.

He gasped when he saw them, "Loonatics!"

"Rip!" Lexi exclaimed, pleased.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of dere," Ace promised, "Now stand back."

Hastily, he moved out of the way and Ace shot a laser beam at the cell; neatly melting out a large square.

Ignoring the clattering bars falling round the entrance, Rip shot out of the cage before pulling urgently on Ace's arm. "Come on, we have to move: Rev's in trouble!"

"What?"

"How do you know?"

"Where is he?"

"Is he hurt?"

"Do you know where he is?"

The distressed Loonatics' questions bombarded him from all sides but Rip simply brushed them off.

"Come on. I'll explain on the way."

He took off quickly with the Loonatics on his heels. His speed, however, worried them: they had never seen the bird move so fast before. That could only mean that something was seriously wrong.

"Alright Rip, spill: why is Rev in trouble?" Ace demanded.

So, as they raced through the corridors, Rip started to explain, "Well Rev escaped, see. Except the Birdwatcher found out and knew he would come rescue me next so he set a trap. They caught Rev but he was still being defiant so the Birdwatcher said he was going to make sure Rev couldn't escape again - permanently."

Tech felt his stomach tighten at the implications of what that meant but a question pressed itself on his mind, "So how do you know where to go?"

"We passed the Birdwatcher's experiment room when I first came here. The door was open when they marched me past so I saw what it contained. I just figured that's where they were taking him."

Suddenly he stopped. "This is it," he stated. Before them was a large iron door.

"Slam, you're up," Ace instructed. Nodding, the Tasmanian Devil pulled at the door, making the metal buckle and deform. Wenching it away, Slam threw it to the side leaving a gaping opening before them.

The Birdwatcher looked up in surprise at the intruders as they entered.

"Oh-guys-I-must-say-I've-never-been-happier-to-see-you," Rev called from where he was strapped down on one of the tables.

By this time the Birdwatcher had overcome his astonishment, "Loonatics: what an unexpected surprise. I must commend you on your ability of finding my lair, no one has ever been able to do that before."

"Yeah nice place," Ace's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Now, I believe you have something of ours and we want him back."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that: I've become very attached to him. Guards!"

At their master's call, three robots jumped out of the shadows to attack the group.

Tackling the one flying towards Rip, Slam smiled. It was about time he got some payback for the fight in the park. As Slam preoccupied one guard, Tech and Duck worked together to take down the second while Ace and Lexi were efficiently dispatching the third. All in all, it wasn't looking good for the robots.

Just as Slam was pulling back his fist for the final blow, he felt his strength leave him and he collapsed onto the ground. Around him, the other Loonatics fell to their knees, weakened by the strange force.

Wearily raising his head, Slam focused on the gloating Birdwatcher as he lifted high the container of Curium 247.

* * *

Dun dun dun! So this has got to be one of my favourite chapters, I just love the suspense and build up. Unfortunately there isn't many chapters left to go, for which reason I'm really sad but I'm also excited because that means I can start working on a new story. Anyway, reviews would be wonderful: so please review. :)


	8. Chapter 7: Underestimated

Author's note: Alright, first of all I'm really really sorry about how long it's taken me to post this chapter up. And sorry, I know it isn't very long. Things have just been crazy with assessment, argh! Though I'm not going to rant about it here. I'll try to be good and get the next chapter up next week but I'm not sure if I can: I've got two exams and two assignments due in the one week.

Anyway, just a little note on Curium 247: The surface area of the element actually reacts to air so that the substance forms a layer of curium oxide, this layer doesn't inhibit the effects of the pure curium 247 but it itself doesn't affect the loonatics powers. As a result a certain volume of curium with a small surface area will be much more effective than the same volume but with a larger surface area. Just keep that in mind for later.

So I think that's all. On with the chapter.

* * *

"My, Loonatics, whatever is the matter?" The Birdwatcher asked in a mock-sincere voice. His grin broadened, "Oh, did I forget to mention my prized possession? How forgetful of me: after all, it is your greatest weakness."

As he was speaking, the battered guards had managed to get to their feet. Now they converged on the fallen heroes, restraining them.

There was one however, that they completely overlooked. Finding himself ignored wasn't something new to Rip, however this time he was happy about it. Ducking down behind one of the tables, he decided to put his invisibility to good use.

The Birdwatcher watched triumphantly as his robots captured the Loonatics without any resistance. Well, except for the leader.

Ace struggled weakly against his restraints. "You won't get away with dis," he stated, even as his struggling took its toll on his energy. Drained, he dropped limply into the grip of the guard, keeping eye contact with the Birdwatcher the whole time. The villain maintained his gaze evenly, smirking the whole time.

"Oh, but I think I will. You have no way to fight me and I have ways to discourage escape," he countered. "So why don't you accept the inevitable. I'll tell you what I plan to do with you and you will come along easily. That way no one gets hurt. I wouldn't want to damage any of you."

Ace, however, didn't back down, "It's not da Loonatics way ta give up without a fight. I'm willing ta face any pain you've got."

"Would you feel the same way about your teammates though?" The Birdwatcher asked, gesturing at Rev.

Ace faltered.

"I didn't think so. Now, you will all come along peacefully or the roadrunner will pay. And just to prove my point," he picked up the syringe he'd released when the Loonatics had barged in and advanced towards the defenceless Rev.

"Nooo!" Rip yelled, jumping out from behind the table he'd crawled to, to get close to the Birdwatcher. Rip collided with him, knocking the syringe and Curium from his hands. They fell to the ground with two distinct crashes.

As soon as the Curium shattered, the Loonatics felt their strength returning. Taking advantage of the confusion, they launched an attack on the unsuspecting robots.

"No!" screamed the Birdwatcher. With surprising speed and strength, he sucker punched Rip, sending him reeling backwards into the wall.

Disorientated, Rip could do nothing but watch impassively as the villain approached. Fire burned in the Birdwatcher's eyes, "You did this! Now you will pay."

"Rip!" Rev cried. Futilely, he struggled against his bonds, ignoring the metal as it scraped and cut his skin. All that mattered was that Rip, his brother, needed him.

Picking up a knife from the wall, the Birdwatcher smiled, "Say goodbye to your brother roadrunner, because you won't be seeing each other for a while," and he raised his knife.

Before the stroke could fall, however, a cube of Gluco-Gell surrounded him.

"I'd like to disagree," Tech stated triumphantly.

Over by the wall, Lexi helped the out-of-the-loop Rip to his feet. He wasn't on his feet for very long though, before an over-excited Rev tackled him. "Rip-you're-alright-I-was-so-worried-before:-it-looked-like-you-were-a-gonna.-I'm-so-glad-you're-alright-though,-I-don't-know-what-I'd-have-done-if-you'd-been-hurt-I-"

Ace watched amused as Rev practically crushed the life out of his brother, "Alright Rev: let him breathe."

Rev let go almost immediately. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

He didn't get a chance to say anything else though because the next instant Slam was crushing _him_ in a bear hug. It was fine until Slam accidently bumped his left arm and he was unable to stifle a pained gasp.

The next instant Slam released him and Tech was carefully examining Rev's wounds. Judging by his expression, he wasn't happy with the results.

"So what's da verdict?" Ace asked.

"He has multiple bruises and cuts; the most prominent being the large bruise on the back of his head, – probably from hitting that tree – a black eye and the cuts on his wrists and ankles from struggling just before. He also has a sprained ankle, a couple of cracked ribs and his left forearm is most definitely broken. I'll need to set it as soon as we get back to headquarters."

Ace's face darkened as he heard how much damage had befallen his teammate in less than 24 hours. "Speaking of which, Tech: do you think you could drive dis ship? I think it's about time we went home."

* * *

As soon as Rip and Rev stepped out of the ship, they were immediately smothered by their parents, both speaking at such incredibly fast paces and at the same time that not even the Runner brothers could decipher what they were saying.

"It's-okay-Ma-we're-fine," Rev comforted his mother as she cried hysterically on his shoulder.

"Oh-Rev-I'm-just-glad-you're-both-okay.-I-couldn't-stand-the-thought-of-losing-either-of-you.-Thank-you-for-protecting-your-brother."

"Thanks-Ma,-but-he-protected-me," Rev ruffled Rip's crest.

"It's true," Ace backed him up, "none of us would be here now without him. He saved us all."

Ralph just smiled. "I-always-knew-you-had-it-in-you," he said putting an arm around his son's shoulders.

The happy glow on Rip's face couldn't even be described, as he stood there surrounded by his family. Despite how tired, battered and bruised he was, he wouldn't have changed this moment for the world.

* * *

There you have it. I think I would've liked this chapter better if I'd made it longer and had had more time to edit it but oh well. I hope you guys all liked it (You can tell me by typing in that small box below :D). Anyway, just the epilogue to go and this story is finished. :(. It's been great writing it so I hope you all enjoyed it!


	9. Epilogue: To those who wait

Author's note: So the epilogue is up. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed this story and to everyone who has reviewed (especially SariSpy56 who has stuck with me from the beginning). It definately means a lot to me. :). I hope you all enjoyed it.

* * *

"Aw-come-on-pleeeaase," Rev begged.

Ace looked at the kneeling roadrunner in front of him, his expression unchanging despite the puppy-dog eyes Rev was directing at him. "No," he stated.

Rev's expression dropped, "Come-on-Ace,-I've-healed-fine.-Even-my-arm-is-better-now.-Let-me-come-too,-please."

"No, Rev."

"Why-not?" The roadrunner sulked.

Ace sighed, "Please Rev, I don't want a repeat of what happened: you're still not fully back in shape and I don't want ta be worried about you in a battle zone; so you're staying here for my peace of mind."

Lexi shook her head at the situation before her. She had been right: three weeks had passed since the Birdwatcher incident and in that time, Rev had become an almost permanent feature of the tower. To begin with, Ace's reasoning had been sound: Rev hadn't healed yet, his arm was broken, etc. But as time wore on, Ace's excuses grew more and more thin and Rev became more and more irritated by his restricted lifestyle.

Lexi knew that Ace would have to come to terms with it eventually; but until then, Rev needed something to take his mind off his limited freedom.

Tech had been thinking along the same lines. Looking at his sulking friend Tech sighed, knowing exactly what the result of his next words would be, "Come on Rev, let them leave, I need your help in the lab now anyway."

"Really?-Sweet!-Race-you-there!" Rev took off excitedly with Tech following close behind.

"Wait, Rev don't touch the-" his sentence was cut off by a loud crash followed by the exclamation of, "Eek, Tech!" and the coyote's sigh.

Despite how serious the situation probably was, Lexi couldn't help smiling. Yep, finally everything was going back to normal.

* * *

So what do you think? I quite liked this section, I love the fact that Ace would be so overprotective and that Tech would be willing to help his friend out dispite knowing what would happen to his lab. It also gave me an excuse to why Rev doesn't have much of a part in the two episodes straight after 'Family Business'. Check them out, "Cape Duck' and 'The Hunter', Rev is practically non existant in them. It kind of annoyed me at first but I don't mind so much now because I can just imagine that Ace is being overprotective and leaving Rev and HQ. Anyway, I've been rambling on for way too long. Thanks again for reading this and any last minute reviews would be very welcome.

Goodbye for now,

Candlestic.


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